1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus in which the original feeding system, reading optical system, recording system, power source, wirings, etc., of the apparatus are respectively constituted as the units and those units are combined and arranged, to realize a compact-sized apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Recently, for image forming apparatuses and image processing apparatuses such as a facsimile, copying machine or the like, the small-sized and light-weight apparatus has been particularly strongly in demand. Therefore, for example, the tray for enclosing the recording papers, originals and other sheet material which are discharged from the image processing apparatus is generally attached to the outside of the machine such that it projects therefrom instead of being built in the main body of the machine, thereby miniaturizing the main body of the machine by the volume corresponding to the tray. However, with such a construction, the main body of the machine can be miniaturized, and the installation space of the machine in use requires additional space equal only to the space occupied by the protruded tray portion. Thus, the actual miniaturization is not sufficiently realized. To be further mentioned with respect to the tray, if the paper is wound like a roll, such as a thermal recording paper which is used in a facsimile or the like, there is the drawback such that it is difficult to sequentially enclose on the conventional rectilinear tray surface since the roll paper has the strong property such that it intends to return to the circular shape. Recently, in particular, there is a tendency such that the outside diameter of the roll paper is made as small as possible while keeping the whole length of the paper in accordance with the demand for miniaturization of the main body of the machine. For this purpose, a method whereby the diameter of the core of the roll paper is made as small as possible is adopted. Thus, it is important that the paper keeps its circular shape and therefore the development of the method of enclosing the paper corresponding to such situation is strongly demanded in association with the miniaturization of the apparatus.
On the other hand, to realize the miniaturization of the apparatus, it is generally necessary to miniaturize the respective sections (respective functional sections) as themselves which constitute the apparatus, and at the same time it is also necessary to consider carefully and in detail the coupling and correspondence among these respective functional sections and the relation in arrangement thereof. Particularly, this tendency is fairly strong in precision equipment such as image forming apparatus, and the management of a high degree of accuracy in dimensions of each section of the apparatus which is required in association with the miniaturization is one of the difficult problems in realizing miniature of the apparatus. Also, with a decrease in size, the space which each member occupies becomes small, so that there is a tendency for productivity and maintenance to become difficult.
Especially, the maintenance of the reading optical system which is located inside the apparatus is difficult and conventionally, the maintenance can be performed only when various kinds of members are removed, so that the maintenance of such a system becomes the extremely troublesome. In addition, in miniature apparatus, the space which each member occupies becomes small and the adjacent parts approach each other, so that the heat radiation is not efficiently performed in the apparatus which is provided with a recording head having heating elements.
On the other hand, since the electronic parts such as capacitors and connectors are standardized, the dimensions of these parts also hinder size reduction. Namely, where the heights of the electronic parts which are installed on the printed wiring board in which the wirings of the electronic circuit are formed by a print are high, it is impossible to decrease the distance between the printed wiring board and other member, e.g., a chassis, so that the vertical height cannot be made small, and the like.